wrestlingscout's media reviews. From books and documentaries to shoot interviews and matches, I'll review the best (and sometimes the worst) that pro-wrestling has to offer.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Bruno Sammartino [RF Video Shoot Interview]

The Good
Eric Gargiulo's RF Video shoot interviews are so hit-or-miss. While I tend to think he is significantly better than Rob Feinstein, he is not as good as a number of other interviewers. This shoot interview goes nearly three hours and the advantage that Gargiulo has here is that he has interviewed Bruno Sammartino more times on his Pro Wrestling Radio show than anyone, so he has a good rapport with Bruno and knows which stories to get him to tell, which issues will make him bristle and probably which questions to avoid. That being said, Bruno is one of those people whose interviews I will always listen to because he is well-spoken, he is honest and he has a legacy that is second-to-none. Gargiulo is pretty familiar with Bruno's history, so he is able to direct things coherently and chronologically. The story of his journey from a sickly child hiding from the SS in the Italian mountains to a weightlifting standout and eventually one of the biggest drawing cards of all-time is remarkable. He goes into being blackballed early in his career, building a legacy in Toronto that led to his New York City return and all the amazing feuds and people he rubbed shoulders with over the years. Bruno has a million stories and he shares some of the best ones here.

The Bad
Interestingly, I would say if you can only listen to one Bruno Sammartino interview, I'd listen to this one. Although I personally prefer his shoot with Jim Cornette, this was a little more comprehensive. However, if you've heard a lot of interviews with Bruno (and he has definitely done a lot), you might find a lot of this redundant. It seems like Gargiulo's intent was to get that career overview interview while making sure Bruno tells some of his best stories along the way. This is the standard RF Video shoot in many ways.